Chasing Comets
by Helvetica1Revolution
Summary: Jenna has always taken care of her reckless vigilante sister, even at the cost of her own personal happiness. But what will happen when the pursuit of her sister leads her in a dark new direction? And what if that direction is The Comedian?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"_Oi, watch it motherfucker!" _Cars honked, and there was a multitude of loud metal crashing sounds. Somebody cackled out a hyena laugh. _"__YOU__ watch it dip-shit, and mind your own goddamn business!"  
_  
Jenna listened to the symphony of profanity below her, dangling her legs off the roof and peering over the edge to the street traffic. It was 10 o'clock at night, and neon shop lights melded with car headlights to produce a garish blinking rainbow. People milled around on the sidewalks, some smoking and sending plumes of dirty grey drifting towards the sky. Jenna could not decide whether she hated the city or loved it; tonight she felt a little of both. There was a sort of beauty to the way it moved, like one singular pulsing organism, but there was also an element of coldness to it. Crime seemed an inevitable part of city life, something that people no longer questioned.

_I suppose that's why I stepped up, _Jenna thought dubiously. She looked down at her clothes briefly and returned her eyes to the street. Of course, if anything happened that night she wouldn't be able to do much. Not in civilian clothes.

"Jenna, is that you? Are you over there?"

Jenna twisted to look over her shoulder. Her baby sister Macy stood a few feet away, peering at her in the darkness. The reflective purple fabric of her costume shone in the dim light, giving her petite eighteen year-old figure an air of authority.

"Over here, Mace." Jenna patted the edge of the roof next to her invitingly but Macy hung back, frowning.

"Why aren't you wearing your fighting outfit? I told you to come prepared."

Jenna sighed, standing up and carefully stepping away from the ledge. "I don't feel like it tonight, Mace, and I would have told you that if you hadn't hung up on me before I could say anything."

"Don't feel like it?" Her little sister was incredulous. "What do you mean you 'don't feel like it'? It's not taking the dog out for a walk, it's helping people!"

Jenna remembered when she held similar ideals...now she wasn't so sure. How much good were the 'vigilantes' doing, really? One person fighting against a whole city was a person that was fighting a losing battle. "What did you call me over here for?" Jenna asked wearily. "Was it to chew me out for not being a hero 24/7? Because you really could have done that over the phone."

"No," Macy said shortly. "I called you because I found something I thought you might be interested in. But obviously I was wrong, because you don't 'feel like it'. Sorry for wasting your time."

Jenna fought against the urge to roll her eyes. Her sister could throw temper tantrums like no one else; she had hoped that they could skip the bickering this time. "Just tell me what you found, Macy."

Macy opened her mouth, about to lay into her older sister again, but a look from Jenna stopped her. She leaned against a square structure on the roof and began to fiddle with a knife in her belt, subdued attitude tangible in her voice. "I found a group of super-heroes."

"Super-heroes." Jenna repeated. "You mean vigilantes?"

"No, Jen, I mean super heroes. They've got gadgets and guns, and fancy costumes - these guys aren't kidding around."

"Right." She ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "And where did you hear about these 'super heroes', a newspaper ad? The internet?"

Color rose in Macy's face. "No! I ran into one of them on one of my rounds a few weeks ago. She invited me to come to a meeting, says it's perfectly legitimate, like they've been recognized by the mayor and everything. Seriously, Jen, these guys are the real deal. I'm going to join them."

"Jesus Christ, Macy." Jenna felt a flare of frustration. "I told you not to talk to anyone when you're in costume! How do you know this woman isn't trying to trick you into revealing your real name? Or what if she's actually a criminal? You know how careful we have to be!"

"Her name is Silk Spectre, and she's not any of those things! Why can't you treat me like an adult for once?" Macy kicked angrily at a rock and it skittered across the roof, seemingly eager to escape the girl's wrath.

_Silk Spectre_, Jenna repeated to herself internally, trying to remember where she'd heard that name before. It suddenly dawned on her- The Minutemen. She had run into them on her rounds before too, but she had been smart enough to conceal herself and watch from a safe distance. They had been fighting scores of tough-looking men, and at the end of the altercation none of the costumed men and women had a single injury. This was the organization Macy wanted to join?  
"No." Jenna said firmly. "Absolutely not. I won't allow it."

"Why?" Macy exclaimed. She pushed off the structure and stomped one foot, unaware of how childish the gesture was. Jenna was suddenly reminded of their childhood, when they would save up enough money to buy some black licorice from the corner store. Macy would always finish her first and then ask for some of Jenna's, giving the same stomp of anger when she was denied. _"But why?"_ she'd ask, frustrated at how unfair the situation was. _"Why can't I have it?"  
_  
"It's too dangerous." Jenna answered, shaking off the memory. "They go after crime that's a lot bigger than the petty theft and assault you and I deal with- you'd be killed on the first day. You aren't ready for it Mace, trust me."

This was the wrong thing to say. Macy straightened, lips tightening and curling. Her chin popped up in defiance.  
"I _am _joining them." She said fiercely. "And you can't stop me."

Jenna started to protest again, but Macy turned and ran at the edge of the roof, dropping over the side and disappearing without so much as a nod goodbye. Jenna exhaled wearily and walked over to the edge to look down, catching a flash of purple before Macy swung onto another fire escape and took off.  
_She's going to get into trouble_, the twenty-one year old thought tiredly. _If only I hadn't harped at her, maybe she would've listened._  
But that was ridiculous. Macy never listened; even as a child she was so sure of herself. Jenna exhaled softly and dropped down the edge as well, using the fire escape ladder as a foot hold before jumping the four feet down to the ground. She would need to contact this Silk Spectre and warn her not to accept Macy as a new member, but she would put off the unpleasant task until tomorrow. Jenna brushed herself off and entered the pulsing stream of people outside of the alleyway, vanishing in the crowd as just another New Yorker with somewhere to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Hesitant piano chords echoed through the studio and built into a halting rendition of Beethoven's "Fur Elise", slow and off-key as a young girl bent over the piano. Her fingers stretched awkwardly, almost too small to reach the far keys. There was a tiny furrow of frustration in her brow. Jenna sat next to her on the piano bench silently and watched her play. On the girl's ninth sour note her hands fell into her lap and she slumped forward, letting out a small huff of defeat.

"Ms. Lorry, can we take a break?" She asked plaintively. "I'm no good at this. My fingers are sore."

Jenna patted her on shoulder, smiling. Almost every student felt the urge to quit at some point and it was important that she make sure they continue. "Don't get discouraged, Annie, it's always hard at first. If you just keep practicing you'll start to get better." Seeing the look on her young pupil's face, she relented. "How about we keep trying that song for fifteen more minutes, okay? It's almost time to go home anyways."

Annie nodded, sighing, and readied her fingers once more. The look of determination returned to her face.  
Jenna felt a sense of contentment, watching Annie try again and again despite her lack of success. It was easy to forget everything in her studio; the world seemed smaller here, composed of only her students and the music. It was a job that took patience, but she seemed to have an abundance of it, and she enjoyed her work. Macy had once taken a job at the same studio teaching guitar but had quit almost immediately, saying that nothing got on her nerves like off-key music. Jenna liked hearing the little mistakes and wrong keys though- they reminded her how every imperfection could be corrected through perseverance and practice.

"Ms. Lorry?" Annie was blinking up at Jenna apologetically. "I think my mom's parked outside. I have a dentist appointment today, so she's picking me up early."

Jenna blinked, shaken from her philosophical daydreaming. "That's fine, Annie. Tomorrow we'll work on some hand stretches to help with your finger flexibility." She rose from the bench to head toward her desk and started rummaging for her keys. Annie was her last student of the day; closing up ten minutes early would make no difference. Jenna found the jingling brass key ring and pushed it into the pocket of her black dress slacks, glancing up at the clock and mentally planning how long it would take to walk back to her apartment.  
There was a sharp honk from outside and Annie hurriedly slung her backpack over her shoulders. She gave Jenna a little wave and Jenna returned it, smiling, before the girl disappeared out the door and into the fading orange light.

Jenna's phone suddenly gave a little chirp and started vibrating on her desk. She frowned, looking down. A lump formed in her throat as she recognized the name on the screen. She wasted no time in grabbing it and flipping it open.

"Aunt Sara? What's wrong? Why are you calling me?"

The thin, reedy voice she had come to resent in the past years sounded vaguely surprised. "Goodness, is that any way to answer a telephone? No need to be so terse, child, I'm just calling about Macy. I know she's staying at that tiny little apartment of yours tonight, and she left her toothbrush here."

"Staying over at my..." Jenna was confused for approximately half a second before things clicked in her brain. _Goddamn it, I forgot to contact the Minutemen!_  
She hissed a vague reassurance into the phone and slammed it shut before running out the door and down the street. It occurred to her that she hadn't locked up the studio, but she continued to sprint down the street in her painfully tall heels.

"Damn it, Macy," she cursed under her breath as she nearly careened into a newspaper vendor. "You are in a shitload of trouble."

Jenna found her sister after an hour long search of the city, in a dimly lit backstreet behind one of the many dive bars of the Upper East Side. Her sister was working on disarming a man at least two heads taller than her; another latex-covered figure was in pursuit of an escaping criminal, weaving nimbly back and forth across the alleyway to avoid their frenzied gunfire. Jenna waited until the figure was out of sight and took a moment to size up the distance from the roof to the ground before jumping, landing in a neat crouch. She swiped a serrated knife from her belt and aimed it at the criminal's twisting throat before whipping it forward. The weapon whistled through the air to lodge itself firmly in his jugular, and he let out a gurgle of pain. Macy turned, hands up in a protective stance, but when she saw Jenna her posture relaxed.

"Oh. It's you." She turned back to the dying criminal and bent down, pulling the knife from his throat. Warm blood gushed from the wound and pooled around her boots. "I had it covered, you know. The Minutemen discourage killing, I was just going to knock him out."

"Get up." Jenna said sharply. Her voice sounded formidable even to her own ears. "We're going back home."

Macy froze. She looked over her shoulder, brow furrowed. "You can't be serious."

"I have never been more serious. Now _get up_, before I _pick you up myself_."

Macy straightened and turned. There was an obstinate expression on her face as she tossed the weapon at Jenna's feet and crossed her arms.  
"Forget it, Jenna. I'm not leaving."

Jenna narrowed her eyes. Anger branched through her, pushing slowly through her veins and up towards her chest. She opened her mouth, about to give one last warning, when another voice startled both of them.

"Who's this? I don't believe we've been introduced."

Jenna jumped back a step, ready to grab another weapon from her arsenal, but it was just the man who ha been in previous pursuit. This one had ridiculous wings attached to his back, probably appropriating his super-hero name. The man towered over both women, but underneath his mask his expression was open and friendly. Jenna wondered at the impracticality of his outfit- how anyone engaged in strenuous activity in that get-up was a mystery to her.

Before Jenna could even think to answer Macy was talking, lying without a second thought. "This is my old crime-fighting partner, Comet. She came to help us on the rounds tonight. I've been trying to convince her to join Minutemen but she's convinced it's too dangerous, so I invited her to come see for herself."

Through her building anger Jenna felt a sense of relief that Macy at least had the sense to lie about their relationship, though she suspected it was motivated by fear of being embarrassment. The man turned to flick his eyes over her thoughtfully. "Well I can assure you, it's safer to travel in groups. You're welcome to accompany us, see what our routine is. We usually report back to a central location after a few hours, so you can come and meet everyone else too if you like." He extended his hand in a gesture of good-will. "I'm Mothman, but feel free to call me Byron."

Jenna didn't trust this man, with his easy charm and false assurances, and she shook his hand more measuringly than politely. She could feel the condensed power in his grip, as if he were restraining himself from crushing her. She glanced at Macy and saw that her sister's eyes were pleading. _Please_, they begged. _Don't screw this up for me._

Jenna knew that if she ordered Macy to come back home in front of this man her sister was so obviously trying to impress, she almost assuredly would not. She also knew that by trying to impress him her sister was going to be acting reckless, and likely put herself in danger. Feeling as though she would rather just go home and leave Macy to her own devices, Jenna nodded.

"Sure, I'll tag along tonight." She released his hand and bent down to grab her knife from the ground, using it as an oppurtunity to regain her calm. When she straightened the anger she had previously felt was gone, hidden under a veneer of blank focus. She wiped the blade off on the fabric of her black cargo pants and replaced it in her belt, looking up again to meet his brown eyes with her vacant ones. "Nice to meet you, Byron."

When the three of them started heading down the backstreet again Macy lagged behind with Jenna, touching her arm tenatively. "Thank you." She whispered. Jenna looked at her evenly and said nothing. _You're still in a shitload of trouble, Macy, _she thought to herself_. But it can wait until we get back home._

**Hey guys, feel free to message me with any constructive criticism or ways to improve my writing, thank you! :)**


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